Product Plugging

I am such a product fiend. I don't know what it is but there is just something oddly exciting about shopping for and trying new ones. I've always been this way too. When I was a kid, my mom could be just as certain of making me happy w/ a new shampoo purchase as she could w/ something tangible, like a toy.

Below are a list of products I'm currently using and my opinion of them. Also included are the names of the products I would use were money no option. I'm hoping some of my readers will feel so inclined to recommend some of their favorites to me as well...


For Face : POND'S COLD CREAM (facial cleanser, works great)
MARY KAY F1 HYDRATING FRESHENER (dry skin toner...ahhhh)
CETAPHIL SKIN CREAM (just the best facial moisturizer around)
MARY KAY CREME FOUNDATION with SPF8 (a great foundation for dry skin)
COVER GIRL (for almost all color cosmetics.)
BESAME' (for red lipstick)

*I prefer Mary Kay's Cleaning Cream for dry skin to Pond's. The smell is milder and the cream slightly less greasy. If I could use any cosmetic line, it would be SHISEIDO but one look at the prices will tell you why I stick to CG. Mary Kay also has good color cosmetics but no better than CG, if you ask me...and for almost double the price. Besame' lipstick is phenomenal. It does dry the lips a little but if you like red lips, they have the best colors and the strongest pigments. They come in a shiny bullet-shaped gold case and are very expensive.
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Hair Care: JOHN FRIEDA'S BRILLIANT RED (Shampoo and Conditioner for red hair)
AUSSIE HI HOLD + HI SHINE HAIRSPRAY (the best I've found)
TRE SEMME' HEAT TAMER SPRAY (protects hair from heated styling)

*When my hair isnt colored, I use Aussie Shampoos. They're my favorite in or out of the Salon. But when I've got red hair, I gotta use a color kicking shampoo. John Frieda's works better than Redken or any other brand I've tried. Styling products are really difficult for me to find though because my hair is so fine and most of them weigh it down.
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SkinCare: BODY ESSENCE OLIVE & HONEY BODY WASH (cheap stuff from Wal Mart also contains a Macadamia Nut scrub and smells nice and 'earthy'. Plus, it leaves skin very soft. Who woulda thought?
JOHNSON'S 24 HOUR LOTION (doesnt work 24 hours, but still does a good job)

* My favorite bath products are Bath N Body Works products. I've yet to find anything that smells as potent or works as well. But until money is truly no object...
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For Baby: BURT'S BABY BEE HAIR AND BODY WASH (smells like honey and doesnt burn eyes)
BURT'S BABY BEE APRICOT BABY OIL (smells HEAVENLY and makes babies softer than ever!)
A+D OINTMENT (for diaper rash -mediciney smell but still works great)
JOHNSON'S MEDICATED BABY POWDER (for diaper rash prevention)
WHITE CLOUD DIAPERS (cheap and dependable)
PARENT'S CHOICE BABY WIPES


*I've never found baby wash or lotion I like as much as Burt's wash and oil. For really stubborn diaper rash, I like FLANDER'S BUTTOCKS OINTMENT. But the A+D works great on mild redness. Pampers Diapers and Wipes are my favorites but too expensive for me and the cheaper versions work just fine.
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For Cleaning: PINE SOL-for floors and countertops
SCRUBBING BUBBLES BATHROOM CLEANER-for toilets and bathtubs
WINDEX -for glass, sinks, and fixtures
SWIFFER WETJET ANTIBACTERIAL SOLUTION-for touch up cleaning in kitchen
PLEDGE HARDWOOD FLOOR CLEANER-for deep cleaning hardwoods.

*I just love the smell of Pine Sol so I will never try anything else. Windex and Scrubbing Bubbles are likewise old standbys of mine. The Swiffer is relatively a new discovery but one I swear by for touch up cleaning during the week. It also works for occasional hardwood floor clean-up but I use the pledge for my deep cleaning since I still don't count on the Swiffer fluid being that 'safe' for the finish. If money were no object, I'm sure I'd order more organic products online and essential oils. They're difficult to find out here in the boonies. And I'd surely get those Swiffer Dusters more often...those things are great!

Ten Things I Love that Begin With 'F'...

I'm stealing this from my friend bookyeti's blog:

Ten things I love that begin with 'F'

1.fondue
2.Frank Capra Films
3.Felix Unger
4.fiction
5.food network
6.family, my
7.Fallon, Neil (of Clutch)
8.fetal heartbeats
9.fizzy drinks
10.fair weather

Comment and you'll receive your own letter. Then place your own 'ten things' list in the comments, using the letter you're given.

Holiday in Memphis-The Highlights

Memphis ain't all bad. There are definitely nice things about a visit there. Some of my own highlights about last weekend's visit are listed below:

1. Discovering a New 'Shortcut': We had to leave on Saturday morning instead of Friday night, as originally intended, and since we knew holiday traffic would be horrid, we made it a point to drive thru Gallatin and catch 65 instead of driving I40 the whole way. It knocked a good 45 minutes off the drive and that was a big plus. Also, Victor slept almost the entire time. Easy Peasy.

2. Victor in all his 'fatness' meeting friends and family: Mom hasnt seen Victor since he was born so it was fun to watch her face when she saw him again, in all his fifteen pound splendor! I knew she wouldnt want to put him down...so cuddly and smooshy is he!

3.'Tear It Up' and White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha: On a quick little outting Saturday, my husband and I ran accross a great little clothing/accessory store on Cooper beside the Celtic Crossing. It's called Tear It Up and even though the store is the size of a small bedroom, there are some GREAT items in there. I couldnt resist a super-soft T-Rex (the band) Tee for 19.00. Also, lots of nice retro reproduction shoes and dresses in there, ladies! Afterwards, we treated ourselves to the novelty of Starbucks (we don't have any of those around here, guys) and their seasonal White Chocolate Peppermint Mocha which was AMAZING. Starbucks is the one thing that makes me wish I lived in the city...ha!

4.Seeing the new Assembly Hall: No, we didnt get to actually attend the assembly like we planned...sigh. We had to drive in on Sat instead of Friday so that day was gone anyway. And then on Sunday morning we were ten minutes late to the program and there were NO seats! Crazy! And since there was some work being done in the Cafeteria, we couldnt go in there. But we got to see the place anyway, and it is indeed beautiful!

5.Good Food: We have our 'regular' places we like to eat in Memphis but this time, we made two more yummy discoveries. Sunday we ate at the Dixie Cafe for the first time (which we loved...go figure how it's possible I havent' eaten there before) and Sunday night we tried the Blue Fin on Main st. Awesome place...loved the atmosphere, loved the beer, loved the sushi, but most of all loved the...

6.Good Company: So nice to visit w/ old friends...Moose, Monkey, Muffin, all of you guys were a blast! Big brother is always a plus too. I'm so glad we found out about the Karaoke at Alfred's and that practically no one was around to witness our foolishness! You know we have to sing our 'signature song' every time now, don't ya Moose? Oh, and here's the link to the RED lipstick: http://www.besamecosmetics.com/home/?page=home


7.Family : Time spent w/ my parents, niece and nephew, and spiritual family will always be the best part of any little trip. And I enjoyed seeing my brother's new house and forseeing the good times to be had there as well.

We had an easy drive home with almost no traffice, due to the Holiday. It was companionable and smooth. All in all, a lovely little Holiday.

9 Months and All Is Well...

Here is my last belly picture. Nine months and counting. It's been a long haul but there are now officially three weeks left until the due date. I am suffering a little bit from lack of sleep (can't get comfortable at night) but last night, my friend Jolie came over and administered a MUCH needed and HEAVILY discounted hour and a half massage complete w/ essential oils specially formulated for 'mother/baby bonding', plinky new age music, and dim lighting. When she finished, I realized that I had never truly had a massage before and pretty stupid for having paid over 100 dollars for some of them. She worked out my hips and legs, my lower back (by loosening my shoulder and applying strange but highly effective pressure to my arm socket) and last but not least, my feet (which, after shopping for two hours yesterday at Wal Mart, were near death). When I was finished, I felt like a new person and a little bit like I'd had a few beers. I slept very well last night.

The massage made me realize that it's really a good idea to invest in some sessions during pregnancy, not only for yourself but for the good of the baby. Come to think of it, I also think a pedicure would be a great idea since painting my own toenails at this point is next to impossible. So those are some things I learned this time around. Other very useful stuff I have learned from this pregnancy, so far:

1. If you have other kids, over-do the relaxing part and assume that the family can take care of themselves sometimes. If you aren't a 'napper' (and I'm not), at least take a few hours during the daylight hours to sit and do nothing. Otherwise, by the time it's your usual hour for preparing dinner or getting ready for meetings, you are quite worthless.

2. If you are going to be driving long distances (more than thirty minutes) remember that you may get unusually tired due to the pregnancy and be very careful. I almost fell asleep a couple of times on what I used to think were 'quick trips' to Lebanon or Gallatin and scared myself pretty badly.

3. Morning Sickness can actually be worse the 2nd or 3rd time around and DOES NOT necessarily mean the child is a different sex than your other children...heh heh.

4. Eating Raisin Bran for breakfast every morning is a great way to stay regular (and when you're pregnant, that's a big deal). And Tums still worked the best for heartburn...I am SO sick of those things!

5. Drinking the occasional beer or a couple of caffeinated drinks a day is NOT proven to be dangerous to the developing baby and shouldnt be judged by 'all knowing' strangers.

6. The single greatest purchase I made this time around was the 'Bella band' that I mentioned on an earlier blog entry. ( http://www.ingridandisabel.com/bellaband.html )
Not only was I able to extend my pre-pregnancy wardrobe and continue to wear my non-maternity jeans until I was 8 months along, but I still use it to keep up those stubborn 'under-belly' maternity pants that old navy and Gap are famous for (and do NOT like to stay put), and am confident that it will be even more useful after I have the baby. I can wear it w/ my pre-pregnancy clothes again (while I'm losing the baby fat) and since it's a basic black, it will just look like an added layer while it holds in that inevitable jelly belly and gives me a smoother waist. Now did that sound like an add or what?

That's all for now. The countdown to 'birth-day' begins and I'm anxious, of course. I'll keep everyone up to date and post an entry about the experience as soon as the dreaded day has passed. Readers BEWARE...

Okay, this is fun!

The Soundtrack of Your Life:

(A friend put this on her blog months ago and I never put it on mine, though I did intend to because it's very fun. Here's how it works: Open your computer music files, ipod etc and set to 'shuffle'. Whatever song plays first goes in the first slot (no cheating!). When you go to a new question, hit the 'next' button' and continue doing so until all blanks are filled.)

1. Opening Credits: "Folsom Prison Blues"-The Reverend Horton Heat

2. Birth: "Give It To Me"-The Stray Cats

3. First Day At School: "All I've Got"-The Hellacopters

4.Falling In Love: "Then I Close My Eyes"-David Gilmour

5. Fight Song: "Where the Flavor Is"-Mudhoney

6. Breaking Up: "Why Georgia"-John Mayer

7. Prom: "Digging the Grave"-Faith No More

8. Life: "Paranoid Opioid"-Corrosion of Conformity (LOL...that is just a coincidence, I SWEAR!)

9. Mental Breakdown: "Into the Void"-Kyuss

10. Driving: "In a Jar"-Dinosaur Jr. (a happy conicidence this time since Dinosaur Jr is my favorite band to drive to of all time!)

11. Flashback: "The Selector"-Missing Words

12. Wedding: "Red Red Wine" -Tony Tribe

13. Birth of a Child: "So In Love"-KD Lang

14. Final Battle:"My First Taste of Texas"-Ed Bruce (haha. I guess that shows you how 'non confrontational I am)

15. Death Scene: "Blue Suede Shoes"-Carl Perkins

16. Funeral: "Motor City is Burning"-MC5

17. Ending Credits: Cinema Paradiso (Se)-Josh Groban (couldnt end any prettier :) )

Okay guys, get to it!